COAS Professor Praises University Hire of a Former Jihadist

Lawrence Kuznar, professor of anthropology, was interviewed by local news stations on August 30th, 2016. The news reports were a response to George Washington University’s controversial hire of Jesse Morton, a former jihadist, to work in their cyber and homeland security center. According to Kuznar, the university hire could be very valuable because reformed jihadists can be useful to understanding how extremists think. While working with the National Counterterrorism Center and the Pentagon, Kuznar himself worked with former jihadist Mubin Shaikh to gain an insider’s perspective of terrorist groups. Check out 21 Alive’s video and article, “Former Jihadist Joins the Staff of George Washington University” and Wane’s “IPFW Professor Calls Former Jihadist a Colleague” for more.